That town is gonna have some serious long term resentment towards it LE agencies at all levels from this.
Even down to individual officers and their families.
No matter the action or inaction level of a individual officer, it wont matter where he was, or what he was doing, or says he was just following orders.
It will be seen as guilt by association by the public for years if not decades for all of them.
No matter what is presented as the reasoning why it all happened and what LE did or didn't do in the final investigation.
A new training program in anyway presented to the public for the current LE force in town will not rid them of the stigma they now have at all.
It will be seen as hollow and a mute after the fact point with the same faces being seen with disdain by that town.

This stigma will stay on them everyday in the public eye and the public wont ever forget it.

Outright firings or suspensions aint gonna cut it in the public eye in that town even the ones that deserve it down to the lowest level.
They all need to go is the bottom line.

They need to flush that toliet out their and bring in outside hires.
In a phased in manner and keep it citizens updated on the status of it all till it is 100% accomplished.
Do not pair new hires with anyone currently their.
That distinction to the public needs to be made.
If it means the old ones feel ostracized.
So be it..
You will be relocated to blah blah blah town 200 300 miles away and you can restablish yourself their as a LE.
You have 0 option
We are doing what is best for our town and not you.
If you dont understand it you are part of the problem no matter what you did or didnt do that day..

Give incentives and raises to bring new LE faces in for the public eye.
Let the LE at this point have transfers once cleared of whatever their involvement or lack of involvement if it comes to that point.
With no option to stay employed with LE in town or the county.

But the union will have its say so in the matter.
If the union was smart they would support a plan to rotate out the LE in that town for it,s entire image.
The union could present and implement such a plan within its nationwide network if they would lift a finger or give a thought to it and see how it would restore some amount of trust in its members in the public eye.
I doubt they do schit other than CYA actions.....

We all know in small towns alot of LE hired are Nepotism and good ole boy network hires.
They need to look hard at advoiding that.
Pretty sure their are plenty of good sincere LE types who would like to relocate to that town and restore a good image and reputation of LE in that community from well outside of any connection to it currently.

That town needs some serious change for it's residents to feel any trust in LE again.

All IMO.....

Last edited by renegade50; 05/28/22.